GPR56, a Novel Secretin-like Human G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Gene

• Published in: Genomics (San Diego, Calif.) Vol. 55; no. 3; pp. 296 - 305
• Main Authors: Liu, Marjorie, Parker, Rachel M.C., Darby, Karen, Eyre, Helen J., Copeland, Neal G., Crawford, Joanna, Gilbert, Debra J., Sutherland, Grant R., Jenkins, Nancy A., Herzog, Herbert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01.02.1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Northern; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16 - genetics; Crosses, Genetic; DNA Primers; Exons; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Library; Genes. Genome; GTP-Binding Proteins - genetics; Humans; Hypothalamus - cytology; Hypothalamus - ultrastructure; In Situ Hybridization; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Introns; Metaphase; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Models, Biological; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Myocardium - cytology; Myocardium - metabolism; Myocardium - ultrastructure; Rats; Receptors, Cell Surface - genetics; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Secretin - genetics; Thyroid Gland - cytology; Thyroid Gland - metabolism; Tissue Distribution; Genetic mapping; Human; Nucleotide sequence; Rodentia; Tissue specificity; Homology; Gene organization; Secretin; Gene expression; Vertebrata; Membrane receptor; Mammalia; Chromosome E16; Complementary DNA; Mouse; Domain structure; Chromosome 8; G protein
• ISSN: 0888-7543; 1089-8646
• DOI: 10.1006/geno.1998.5644

A novel gene product, GPR56, with homology to the seven transmembrane-domain receptor superfamily, has been cloned by PCR amplification using degenerate oligonucleotide primers and subsequent screening of a human heart cDNA library. The isolated 2.8-kb cDNA clone encodes a protein of 693 amino acids that shows highest identity (32%) to HE6, a member of a subclass of the class B secretin-like G-protein-coupled receptors. Northern analysis of various human tissues revealed a wide distribution of the transcript with highest levels found in thyroid gland, brain, and heart.In situhybridization analysis of human thyroid gland as well as rat heart and brain tissue confirms these results and identifies the hippocampus and hypothalamic nuclei as brain areas with particularly high expression of GPR56 mRNA. The high level of mRNA expression, its wide distribution, and the mucin-like extracellular domain of the receptor protein suggest a possible role for this receptor in cell–cell interaction processes. The human gene for GPR56 has been isolated and its exon–intron structure determined. The total length of the human GPR56 gene is approximately 15 kb, and it consists of 13 exons. Fluorescencein situhybridization, PCR analysis of somatic cell hybrids, and interspecific mouse backcross mapping have localized the genes to human chromosome 16q13 and mouse chromosome 8.